Black deaf students : a model for educational success / Carolyn E. Williamson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williamson, Carolyn Estelle.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Deaf people--Education (Higher)--United States.

Deaf people.

African American college students.

Deaf people--Education (Higher).

United States.

Physical Description:

xv, 211 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Gallaudet University Press, 2007.

Summary:

The increasing body of knowledge about resilience, protective factors, and school success points to individual characteristics and environmental factors that can be developed, reinforced, and altered to increase a student's potential for educational achievement. The author is particularly interested in how these factors can be applied to African American deaf and hard of hearing students. Though data clearly show a link between students' resilience and academic achievement, a review of the literature revealed that the underachievement of African American deaf and hard of hearing students has received considerable attention while comparatively little notice has gone to those who have succeeded in high school and postsecondary programs. Most of the research data focuses on high achieving African American hearing students. To rectify this situation, the author interviewed nine African American deaf and hard of hearing postsecondary graduates on the factors that contributed to their graduation from postsecondary programs, what they viewed as obstacles, how they overcame them, and their recommendations for facilitating graduation from postsecondary programs. For this study, postsecondary programs were defined as four-year colleges and universities.

This book provides insights by giving "voice" to a group that is rarely heard in research. The perspectives of the participants in the study enable readers to view them as a heterogeneous rather than as a homogeneous group. Their stories provide vital information for parents, other caretakers, school personnel, community stakeholders, and those enrolled in education and mental health preparation programs. In addition, the insights gained from them about how they succeeded can be useful in facilitating positive outcomes for students who are going into two-year colleges, vocational training, and work settings.

Contents:

At-risk factors and resilience

Backgrounds of successful postsecondary graduates

Protective factors in the family

Individual characteristics

The role of schools in resilience

Protective factors in postsecondary programs

Community protective factors

Overcoming obstacles

A resilience program model

Conclusions and recommendations

Appendix : Research design and method.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-202) and index.

ISBN:

9781563683510

1563683512

OCLC:

85892280